Roll support for centerfolder



Sept. 28, 1965 c. A. BECK 3,208,689

ROLL SUPPORT FOR GENTERFOLDER Filed Feb. 2'7, 1964 Fm. Z1

CARL A. BECK INVENTOR BY W W.

ATTOENE) United States Patent 3,208,689 ROLL SUPPORT FOR CENTERFOLDER Carl A. Beck, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., assignor to Charles Beck Machine Corporation, King of Prussia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Feb. '27, 1964, Ser. No. 347,801 6 Claims. '(Cl. 24275.4)

This invention relates to centerfolding apparatus for use with packaging equipment and is particularly directed to means for adjustably mounting and controlling the rotation of a vertically positioned roll of film, foil or like material.

It has been common practice heretofore to mount a roll of film or the like in a vertical position and to draw the film from the roll for passage about angularly disposed folding bars and between creasing rolls or the like to provide a centerfold in the web of material drawn from the roll. When this is done, it is essential that the roll be accurately positioned with respect to the folding bars in order to assure proper centering of the fold in the web. Moreover, braking means must be provided to control the tension applied to the web and to prevent overrun when the speed of operation of the packaging equipment is slowed or halted.

It is often desirable to use such centerfolding apparatus to accommodate rolls of material of various widths. However, in order to do this, it has been necessary to make numerous time consuming adjustments each time a different width roll was to be mounted. Furthermore, to assure smooth and continuous operation of the centerfolder, it is necessary to vary the action of the braking means as the weight of the roll is varied due to the use of rolls of material of greater or lesser width and during use of the equipment as the diameter of the roll changes when material is drawn from the roll. Heretofore, such adjustments of the braking means have required frequent or continuous manual adjustment of the braking means during operation or the use of complex and expensive self-adjusting braking means.

These disadvantages of prior art centerfolding equipment are overcome with the present invention and a simple and inexpensive construction is provided for mounting and braking the roll of material on the centerfolder so as to permit quick and easy adjustment of the centerfolder to accommodate rolls of material of substantially any desired width. Moreover, the device of the present invention provides a braking means which is readily variable and in part self-adjusting yet is extremely simple in construction and requires no maintenance.

The advantages of the present invention are preferably attained by the use of roll mounting and braking elements which are embodied in a unit which is vertically adjustable along a shaft about which the roll of material is to rotate, and by providing positioning elements engageable with said unit and said shaft and adapted to be interchanged or rearranged to permit adjustment in the position of the roll by predetermined small increments. The construction further provides braking means having a self-adjusting action which varies automatically and continuously as the diameter of the roll of material decreases due to withdrawal of material from the roll. 7

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to decrease the time and work required to adjust a centerfolding device to accommodate rolls of material of different widths. I

Another object of the present invention is to provide novel roll mounting and braking means for centerfolding apparatus which .is simple and economical.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide a novel construction for use with centerfolding equipment comprising a shaft about which the roll of material is to rotate, a roll mounting and braking unit movable to various alternative positions along said shaft, and positioning elements engageable with said unit and said shaft and adapted to be interchanged or rearranged to permit the desired adjustment in the position of said unit.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a centerfolding apparatus embodying the roll mounting and braking device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section through the roll support means of FIG. 1 showing details of the roll mounting.

and braking device of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective illustrating the C-shaped positioning element embodied in the construction shown in FIG. 3.

In the form of the invention chosen for purposes of illustration in the drawings, the centerfolding apparatus is shown with the roll mounting and braking device of the present invention indicated generally at 2. The device includes a vertical shaft 4 having a roll supporting and positioning unit 6 located in a selected position on the shaft 4 whereas an idler collar 8 is located adjacent the upper end of the vertical shaft 4 for holding the roll of material in a vertical position as indicated in dotted lines at 10 in FIG. 1. The idler collar 8 may be rotatably mounted on the upper end shaft 4 by suitable means such as nut 9.

Any suitable or preferred form of centerfolding elements may be employed and are generally indicated at 12 in FIGS. 1 and 2; As there shown, the folding means include elements in the shape of an equilateral triangle having a base leg 14 thereof extending vertically and, hence, parallel to the shaft 4 and the axis of rotation of a roll of material mounted on the shaft. The folding members shown consist of bars 16 and 18, and the outer surfaces of the legs 14, 16 and 18 of the folder structure 12 are smooth and, if desired, may be rounded to facilitate passage thereover of material from the roll 10. A pair of horizontal guide' or creasing members 20 and 22 are supported by vertical elements 24 and 26 adjacent but spaced a slight distance from the apex 28 of the triangular folder structure 12. The creasing members 20 and 22 are vertically spaced from each other a distance approximately equal to twice the thickness of the material on the roll 10 and extend in a plane forming an acute angle with respect to the plane of the folder structure 12. The creasing members may be rollers, rods or other rigid means having smooth or rounded facing surfaces; and, if desired, they may be resiliently or adjustably supported so that the spacing between them may be varied to accommodate materials of different thicknesses.

FIG. 3 shows the roll mounting and braking device 2 in greater detail and illustrates how the unit 6 may be adjusted vertically with respect to the shaft 4 to accommodate rolls of material of different width. Generally, the material of the roll 10 will be wound on a tubular core, indicated at 30. To mount the roll 10 on the roll mounting device 2, the core 30 is placed over the end of the shaft 4 and is received by shoulder 32 of a rotatable member 34 of the roll supporting and positioning unit 6. The upper portion of the roll 10 is then held in place by the idler collar 8 which engages the interior ofcore 30 and serves to support roll 10 in a vertical position centered with respect to shaft 4.

j The braking element 46 is thus presented so as to prevent overrunning or free spinning of the roll 10 in the event the speed at which material is drawn from the roll is reduced or halted. At the same time, the rotatable member 34 and inner race member 38 are capable of suflicient vertical movement relative to the shaft 4 to afford automatic adjustment of the braking action to compensate for variations in the weight of the roll and the lever arm with which the web of material acts upon the roll as the diameter of the roll 10 decreases during removal of material therefrom. Thus, as material is drawn off roll 10, the action of the braking means will be continuously and automatically adjusted. Accordingly, the tension applied to the web of material as it is drawn from the roll will be substantially uniform throughout the entire operation.

While various types of roll supporting and positioning units may be employed and held at the desired elevation with respect to the folding device 12 by the novel adjusting elements of the present invention, the unit 6 shown in FIG. 3 is preferred and possesses important and novel features. Thus, the rotatable member 34 of the unit 6 is mounted for rotation on antifriction rollers 36 or the like which bear against an inner race member 38. The outer marginal rim of the rotatable member 34 is provided with a downwardly facing annular braking surface 44 which engages the upper surface of an annular braking element 46 carried by member 48. Member 48 is adjustable vertically toward and away from the rotatable member 34 by threaded engagement with a non-rotatable collar 50 as shown at 52 to assure effective braking contact of the braking element 46 with rotatable member 34. Collar 50 is provided with an inner shaft-engaging bushing 54 and is held against rotation by a pin 56 which extends inwardly from the collar and through the bushing into a vertical keyway 42 which extends the full length of the shaft 4. The threaded adjustment of member 48 with respect to the non-rotatable collar 50 is maintained by means of a nylon plug 58 which, however, will allow manual adjustment of the member 48 with respect to collar 50 when desired.

The unit 6, with its rotatable and non-rotatable memhers, is slidably movable vertically along the shaft 4 and, therefore, may be located in any adjusted position necessary to assure proper centering of the roll 10 vertically with respect to the folding device 12 and its creasing members and 22. For this purpose, the shaft 4 is provided with a plurality of vertically spaced holding means such as the annular grooves 60. Positioning means 62 releasably engageable with a selected one of the grooves or holding means 60 are engageable by the unit 6 to support the unit and roll 10 at the correct elevation to properly center a roll of any width desired. The positioning means illustrated is in the form of a generally C-shaped element which has an inwardly projecting flange 64 adapted to extend into the groove 60 and bear against the lower side of the groove. The element 62 thus embraces the shaft 4 and preferably has a snug fit therewith so as to have a self-locking engagement with the shaft while permitting ready removal and application thereof to a different groove 60 when desired.

The grooves or holding means 60 may be spaced any desired distance vertically of the shaft 4 to accommodate rolls of material of any desired width. However, since the webs of material to be handled at different times may vary but very little in width, it is necessary to provide for small increments of adjustment in locating the unit 6 on the shaft 4. For this purpose, a plurality of rings or spacers 66 may be provided for placement about the shaft 4 between the C-shaped positioning means and the unit 6. With this arrangement, the annular grooves or holding means 60 on the shaft 4 may be spaced a substantial distance apart, say every 2 inches, and one of any required number of spacer rings 66 of, say inch, in thickness can be moved upward along the shaft from a lower storage position to an active spacing position beneath the unit 6. The C-shaped positioning means may then be engaged with a selected groove 60 on the shaft and the spacer rings 66 lowered to rest upon the upper face of the positioning means 62 beneath the unit 6. In this Way, it is possible to locate the unit 6 at the desired elevation on the shaft 4. Further, in order to afford even smaller increments of adjustment in the elevation of the unit 6 and roll of material 10, the flange 64 of the C-shaped positioning element 62 may be spaced a greater distance from one face of the element than the other as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, for example, the C-shaped positioning element may be inch in over-all thickness whereas the flange 64 may be 4; inch in thickness and have a face 68 thereof spaced inch from the'adjacent face 70 of the positioning member while the opposite face 72 of the flange 64 may be spaced 7 of an inch from the adjacent face 74 of the positioning member. The positioning member then can be inverted in applying it to the shaft 4 so as to provide an increment of only Ms inch in the vertical adjustment of the unit and roll on shaft 4 and centering of the roll 10 within a maximum of of an inch with respect to the folding device 12 and creasing members 20 and 22.

It will be apparent that such adjustments can readily be performed even by unskilled workmen and that virtually no maintenance is needed. Moreover, the construction described above is extremely simple and economical. It will further be obvious that numerous variations and modifications may be made without departing from the present invention. Accordingly, it should be clearly understood that the form of the invention described above and shown in the figures of the accompanying drawings are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A roll mounting device for use with centerfolding equipment comprising a vertical shaft having a plurality of vertically spaced annular grooves thereon, a roll supporting unit movable vertically along said shaft to selected alternative positions, said unit embodying a rotatable member presenting a surface engageable by a roll of material to support the same in a predetermined vertical position with respect to the shaft and embodying a stationary member presenting a downwardly facing surface, and positioning means located beneath said unit and engageable by the downwardly facing surface of the stationary member, said positioning means being releasably engageable with a selected groove on said shaft to hold the unit and a roll of material supported thereby in a predetermined vertical position with respect to said shaft.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein a braking element is located between the rotatable and stationary members of said unit.

3. A roll mounting device for use with centerfolding equipment, said device comprising a vertical shaft having a plurality of annular grooves formed at predetermined intervals along said shaft, a rotatable member slidable along said shaft and having a surface formed to support one end of a roll of material, a non-rotatable member supporting said rotatable member, and a C-shaped element having upper and lower surfaces alternatively engageable by said non-rotatable member, said element being provided with an inwardly projecting flange displaced a greater distance from one of said surfaces of the positioning element than from the other, said flange on the C-shaped element being engageable with a selected one of the annular grooves on said shaft and said element being adapted to be inverted to locate the surface of said element engaged by said non-rotatable member and the rotatable member designed to a roll of material in a predetermined position longitudinally of said shaft.

4. A roll mounting device for use with centerfolding equipment, said device comprising a vertical shaft having a plurality of recesses formed at predetermined intervals along said shaft, a rotatable member slidable along said shaft and having a surface formed to support one end of a roll of material, a non-rotatable member supporting said rotatable member, a friction braking means interposed between said rotatable and non-rotatable members to prevent free spinning of said rotatable member and a roll of material supported thereby, and a positioning element adapted to engage said shaft in either of two alternative and relatively inverted positions, said positioning means having upper and lower surfaces for engagement with said non-rotatable member and formed with an interior shoulder displaced a greater distance from one of said surfaces than from the other, said interior shoulder on said element being engageable with a selected one of the recesses on said shaft to locate the surface of said element engaged by said non-rotatable member in a predetermined position longitudinally of said shaft.

5. A roll mounting device as defined in claim 4 wherein said friction braking means is located between the rotatable and non-rotatable members and said members are References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,270,279 6/18 Ferres 24275.46 1,379,164 5/21 Bullis 242-754 1,793,180 2/31 Latham 24268.4 2,107,020 2/38 Williams 242-129.51

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. 

4. A ROLL MOUNTING DEVICE FOR USE WITH CENTERFOLDING EQUIPMENT, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A VERTICAL SHAFT HAVING A PLURALITY OF RECESSES FORMED AT PREDETERMINED INTERVALS ALONG SAID SHAFT, A ROTATABLE MEMBER SLIDABLE ALONG SAID SHAFT AND HAVING A SURFACE FORMED TO SUPPORT ONE END OF A ROLL OF MATERIAL, A NON-ROTATABLE MEMBER SUPPORTING SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER, A FRICTION BRAKING MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID ROTATABLE AND NON-ROTATABLE MEMBERS TO PREVENT FREE SPINNING OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER AND A ROLL OF MATERIAL SUPPORTED THEREBY, AND A POSITIONING ELEMENT ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID SHAFT IN EITHER OF TWO ALTERNATIVE AND RELATIVELY INVERTED POSITIONS, SAID POSITIONING MEANS HAVING UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID NON-ROTATABLE A GREATER DISTANCE FROM ONE OF TERIOR SHOULDER DISPLACED A GREATER DISTANCE FROM ONE OF SAID SURFACES THAN FROM THE OTHER, SAID INTERIOR SHOULDER ON SAID ELEMENT BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH A SELECTED ONE OF THE RECESSES ON SAID SHAFT TO LOCATE THE SURFACE OF SAID ELEMENT ENGAGED BY SAID NON-ROTATABLE MEMBER IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID SHAFT. 